Longwood transforms itself into a wonderland of dancing lights

07/02/2015 09:33AM
● By J. Chambless

Longwood Gardens is lighting up the night with sound and light installations through Oct. 31.

Any of the thousands of people who
walked through Longwood Gardens in the summer of 2012 during “Light:
Installations by Bruce Munro” will tell you that seeing the
familiar gardens reimagined with lights and sound was unforgettable.

Clearly, given the record-breaking
attendance, Longwood Gardens has been looking for a way to repeat the
experience. On July 1, “Nightscape: A Light and Sound Experience”
opened with a string of sold-out nights on the schedule.

The immersive light show was created by
Klip Collective of Philadelphia. As guests walk through places
they've seen many times, they find the sites completely transformed
by brilliant lights and surround-sound music that makes Longwood a
whole new place.

“Nightscape” showcases nine
locations – the Rose Arbor, Large Lake, Flower Garden Walk, Topiary
Garden, the Conservatory and elsewhere. Maps are available of the
sites, but in many ways, it's more fun to wander and discover the
lights and original music on your own.

“Using our Gardens as the inspiration
and the canvas, Klip Collective is creating an imaginative visual and
sound experience,” said Longwood executive director Paul B.
Redman.. “Our guests will journey through the landscape and
encounter the beauty of the gardens in a new and memorable way,
augmented by light, imagery, and sound.”

Klip Collective director Ricardo Rivera
said, “'Nightscape' is an experience very much in relationship with
what’s already here at Longwood. Within each different landscape,
we’re interpreting the space through movement, color, light, and
sound, feeding off what’s there and illuminating it with our
imaginations in a playful way.”

Klip Collective is a visual art shop
bridging projection lighting, technology and storytelling. Klip was
founded by photographer Pier Nicola DʼAmico and video artist Ricardo
Rivera in 2003 to create immersive video projection experiences. Klip
Collective has had installations at the Hirshhorn Museum in
Washington DC, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Center for
Contemporary Art in Moscow, and Sundance Film Festival’s New
Frontier in 2007, 2013 and 2014.

At the Rose Arbor at Longwood, palms
are illuminated in changing rainbow of colors. The Flower Garden
Drive is turned into undulating waves of blue and green, making the
hedges and trees resemble an underwater world. The Legacy Tree leaps
to life as blue and violet lights move from the roots through its
canopy, as if it's shooting up out of the ground.

The Large Lake has a musical score that
evokes the sounds of the night forest. The Flower Garden Walk is lit
by thousands of points of light that scatter among the flowerbeds.

The shrubs in the Topiary Garden are
turned into solid-looking objects that will be a complete surprise to
visitors. Inside, in the Conservatory's Silver Garden, the desert
landscape is turned into an undulating scene. Layers of color and
light animate the towering palms of the Palm House.

Throughout thr run of “Nightscape,”
there will be special programs, including live concerts, family
nights, and an “Artist and Friends” lecture series.

Each Thursday in the new Beer Garden,
regional artists perform live from 7 to 10 p.m. Visit
longwoodgardens.org for the schedule.

During the “Artist & Friends”
series, visitors can join Ricardo Rivera of Klip Collective, and a
panel of technologists and artists as they discuss the design of
“Nightscape.” Panel discussions are at 7 and 9 p.m. The schedule
is: “Composers for Nightscape_ (July 10); “Designing an
Experience” (Aug. 14); “Alternative Storytelling” (Sept. 11);
“Effects of Technology on the Art of Storytelling” (Oct. 9).

Family Nights are scheduled on July 15
and Aug. 19, when children can play a hide-and-seek game throughout
the Gardens, and a live performance in the East Conservatory Plaza at
7 p.m.

As the weather cools, “Gardens on
Tap” (Sept. 16 and Oct. 21 at 7 and 9 p.m.) offers lessons on the
art and horticulture behind botanically inspired cocktails, spirits,
and brews.

“Nightscape” is open Wednesday
through Saturday from 6 to 11 p.m. through Oct. 31. Special tickets,
which include all-day admission, are required and should be purchased
in advance. Admission is $27 for adults (ages 19 and older); $17 for
ages 5 to 18 (free for ages 4 and younger). For information, visit
longwoodgardens.org/nightscape.